Ravens defense drops the ball this time

One week after offensive failures led to the Ravens demise, the defense came apart at the seams in Sunday's 37-33 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

It started with Amari Cooper's 68-yard touchdown on the game's first possession and ended with an 80-yard, game-winning drive in the final two minutes. In all, the Ravens allowed 448 total yards to an offense that mustered just 246 the week before against the visiting Bengals. Derek Carr, who left last week's loss to Cincinnati in the second quarter, completed 30 of 46 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

The Ravens defense, playing in its first game without veteran leader Terrell Suggs, came up empty when the team needed it most. After Joe Flacco rallied the offense to 13 straight points and a 33-30 lead, Carr drove the Raiders right down the field with little resistance. In fact, Ravens defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan helped Oakland's cause with a 15-yard penalty for a very late hit on Carr.

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“At the end of the day, it was a little late,” Jernigan said via The Baltimore Sun. “Being a professional football player in a team, it’s not acceptable. So I’ve just got to make better decisions and make my plays between the whistles.”

Without Suggs, the Ravens' pass rush was virtually non-existent, their tackling was poor, and six defensive penalties for 79 yards didn't help. The performance was a far cry from Week 1's dominant performance against the Broncos in which Peyton Manning was kept from the end zone.

It all adds up to an 0-2 record for the first time under John Harbaugh. The Ravens now head home for Week 3's home opener against the Bengals.